Locals raise stink over Bensonhurst waste plant

Just three days before Christmas, 50 people put aside their final holiday preparations to pack themselves into a political club in Bensonhurst—and with good reason.

Hours earlier, a city crew had begun construction of a long-disputed marine waste-transfer station on the neighborhood's waterfront in Gravesend Bay, and the local elected officials stood aghast. "It's a disgrace, it's irresponsible and it's reckless," said veteran state Assemblyman William Colton at the hastily called meeting. "At this point, the city is going to be responsible for every piece of environmental damage done." Mr. Colton told the crowd he had just visited the site with City Councilman Mark Treyger and said they had found a mound of toxic debris. The assemblyman also noted that the city had begun construction even before an appeal of his lawsuit to block the station had been decided by the courts. The controversy dates back to 2006, when the Bloomberg administration came up with a plan to distribute garbage disposal across the city more equitably. Environmental-justice advocates had long argued that poorer, minority neighborhoods—notably in northern Brooklyn and the South Bronx—had for years borne a disproportionate share of the burden. Understandably, the city's new populist mayor, Bill de Blasio, has continued efforts to address the inequalities. The station, scheduled for completion in 2017, will operate at Shore Parkway and Bay 41st Street, a few feet from the Marine Basin Marina, and a block from an amusement park. Trucks are set to rumble along the parkway, delivering waste to barges that will dock in Gravesend Bay before heading out to sea. Proponents of the Gravesend Bay station say it's as ideal a location as can be found in a population-dense metropolis. They also note that it's separated from a residential neighborhood by the broad and busy Shore Parkway. What's more, as matters stand, southern Brooklyn's garbage gets trucked across the even more populous areas of the borough to 19 different waste-transfer stations dotted along Newtown Creek in northern Brooklyn.

2005—Bensonhurst incinerator shut down

2—Years to complete waste transfer station

151K—Population of Bensonhurst

Source: NYC.gov, based on 2010 census data

Enough already

"It's irresponsible to continue to dump on some of the most environmentally overburdened parts of Brooklyn—which the status quo does," said Eddie Bautista, executive director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.

The station's opponents insist their reaction has nothing to do with NIMBY-ism. They note that the neighborhood has already endured its fair share of environmental degradation at the hands of the city's Sanitation Department via an incinerator that for decades burned trash at the site where the waste-transfer station is rising. "There was toxic ash in the air," said Priscilla Consolo, a staffer for Mr. Colton and vice chair of Strong, a coalition battling the station. Activists say that the incinerator left a stew of chemicals, including mercury, at the bottom of Gravesend Bay, which must be dredged to make way for barges to dock at the transfer station. Locals fear that could pollute beaches and waterways all the way to Coney Island. And although the city trash plan was meant to relieve the burden endured by minority communities, traditionally Italian Bensonhurst now has a sizable Asian--American population. There are even fears that munitions in Gravesend Bay left by a capsized World War II barge could detonate if the dredging proceeds. Bryan Thomas, owner of the Marine Basin Marina, said he may have to close up shop if the station goes forward. "I have major concerns about it—I have 200-plus boats that dock here," said Mr. Thomas. City officials say that such fears are misplaced. They note that the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers have done extensive environmental reviews that have been approved by the courts. In a statement, the Department of Sanitation noted that the administration "has taken a new approach to implementing the City's Comprehensive Waste Management Plan, which is guided by a commitment to fairness and borough equity, while also being responsive to air quality, traffic and pedestrian safety concerns." The statement went on to note that all needed permits for construction were "in place."

Working in tandem

On the Upper East Side, where another transfer station is being built in a residential area under the 2006 plan, deep-pocketed opponents have spent more than $1 million fighting it. In southwest Brooklyn, opponents have less cash, and are using a pro bono lawyer and volunteer activists instead of professional lobbyists, but since June have been working in tandem with their Manhattan counterparts. Christopher Robles, their attorney, said issues of class should not be the determining factor in siting such stations.

"We oppose putting this burden anywhere in residential neighborhoods," said Mr. Robles. "People are people." To press the point, he and others in Bensonhurst are trying to organize a multiethnic pushback reaching beyond Bensonhurst. Hispanic, Jewish and Asian leaders attended the December meeting. A large-scale letter-writing campaign is in the works, as are rallies. "We need to mobilize friends, family, organizations you belong to—churches, synagogues, mosques, whatever," said Mr. Treyger at the meeting. "We need everyone writing letters to the mayor. He will be held fully accountable for what he is now building."

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